Stavanger/Lysefijord

Comfortably facing over the sea

Attractive and friendly, Stavanger offers visitors arriving on an MSC cruise a variety of activities. Starting from a visit to the town itself, that has a centre full of shops, narrow streets climbing up the hill and an attractive cathedral.

You should walk around the old part of town facing the sea where your cruise ship will be anchored. In Stavanger you can enjoy visiting museums. Amongst the most interesting area the oil museum, the canning museum, the Rogaland art museum or the children’s museum.

Take a stroll in the environs of Stavanger instead to explore the 23 iron figures that form the “Broken Column” a sculpture by Antony Gormley. In Hafrsfjord look for the three swords in the rock, a monument celebrating the Vikings’ battle of 872 A.D. led by King Harald I. Nearby is the Jærmuseet science centre, elected the “best museum in Norway” in 2009. But the region of Stavanger is known especially for its fjords and in particular the Lysefjord.

The mountain walls drop almost a thousand metres vertically along the 42 kilometres of coast, for that is the depth of the sea in this narrow passage. An excursion on the waters is an experience you won’t forget. Also because from here one can admire one of the most famous attractions in Norway, the Preikestolen (the Pulpit), a rocky outcrop soaring 600 metres above the fjord. With an hour and half’s walk from the driveway you can reach this exceptional work of nature .

Another tourist attraction is Kjerag, a peak rising 1100 metres above sea level that dominates the Lysefjord, with its northern face plummeting into the sea. But it’s a little lower down, at about 980 metres that you find a natural masterpiece generated by the elements: the Kjeragbolten, a massive rock jammed between two rock faces.

The excursion takes up most of the day, but the awesome spectacle is worth the effort.

Must see places in Stavanger

Discover our excursions

Norway

A holiday in Norway is a dream. A dream along a fjord, the most evocative and characteristic natural formation of this land.

The Geirangerfjord and the Nærøyfjord are listed as part of UNESCOs World Heritage Sites, but it's also worth mentioning the longest of all the Fjords, the 204 km long Sognefjordas well as the Hardangerfjord where cherry and apple blossoms can be seen on the cliff-side during spring.

But a Northern Europe MSC cruise also means experiencing the spectacular beauty of the Northern lights; while those of you who travel in the summer can admire the spectacular midnight sun, once north of the Arctic Circle. A cruise to Norway also means discovering the culture of two ancient populations: the Vikings, not just pirates and warriors, but merchants, explorers and colonisers who, for over three hundred years until the 11th century governed Scandinavia and the northern Atlantic: and then, the Samis, the natives of these lands, dressed in multicoloured clothes with immense herds of reindeer, who have lived in the deep North for more than 10,000 years.

Finally, watch out for the Trolls! Many of the places you will visit are named after these legendary creatures: Trollheimen, Trollstigen (with the spectacular Troll’s path), Trollhatten and Trollveggen.

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